Summer Stuff - Food/Drink

Sunday Brunch

Why not? Take a break from cereal and treat yourself to a buffet-on-a-boat, with a moving panoramic view of the Coeur d’Alene Lake as your kitchen window. It’s the most beautiful breakfast you’ll ever have on the go. Visit www.cdaresort.com. (BT)

Market This

There’s something so right about the eccentric city of Moscow, Idaho. The “Heart of the Arts” community is comprised of college students, homesteading hippies and religious right-wingers. Moscow is no longer just a college town and agricultural hub. With Renaissance fairs, Artwalks, Hempfest and a flourishing food co-op, this little city is a cultural gem.

The absolute best way to discover the city is through the MOSCOW FARMERS MARKET. The tradition started in a parking lot in 1977 with a handful of local farmers selling goods out of the back of their trucks. The market was eventually moved to a more central location downtown, and in 1980, the city received sizable federal grants to revitalize the downtown district. With new lights, trees, a playground and a fountain in Friendship Square, the market was brought to life.

The Moscow Farmers Market is held each Saturday, May through October, from 8 am-1 pm at Friendship Square near Main Street. Local musicians perform every Saturday from 9:30-11:30 am. The Moscow Arts Commission brings out artists, musicians and activists. In an area less than 10 blocks, you can buy local meat, fresh organic produce, a tie-dye scarf, potting plants, flowers and stuff your face with hand-baked treats.

Once you’ve filled your reusable, compost-friendly shopping bags, stroll the downtown district. WHEATBERRIES BAKE SHOP makes snickerdoodle cookies the size of your face. ONE WORLD CAFE features cozy couches, rich coffee and foam art. HYPERSPUD SPORTS has all your outdoor recreational needs. And if your mood and pocketbook are right, pick up a four-course meal at the gourmet French restaurant known as WEST OF PARIS. (JB)

Reading List

Overwhelmed with your foodie book load? There’s a BOOK CLUB for you. The Moscow Food Co-op will guide your summer reading and (possibly) eating. On June 28, discuss Gluten-Free Girl: How I Found the Food That Loves Me Back and How You Can Too by Shauna James Ahern. On July 26, come to talk about Food Rules: An Eater’s Manual by Michael Pollan. On Aug. 30, conversation turns to Radical Homemakers: Reclaiming Domesticity from a Consumer Culture by Shannon Hayes. It’s free, the meetings are Monday nights, and the content is delicious. E-mail [email protected]. (JB)

Wine Party

Best place to have a party? A winery, of course, especially if it’s PEND D’OREILLE WINERY’s 15th Anniversary weekend bash (free). Celebrate the release of Meyer Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon with door prizes, wine tasting and music by Hip Gravy and Not Quite Punk, June 18-20. (La Quinta is just down the street if you exceed your party quotient.) And, if you’d rather celebrate with close friends, round up 30 of ’em and make reservations for POW’s five-course candlelit winemaker’s dinner at 6 pm, June 30 ($65). Visit www.powine.com. (CS)

Gathering Place

In terms of size, SANDPOINT FARMERS MARKET is relatively petite (although it’s grown out of its original Farmin Park boundary). Yet it’s the heart of Sandpoint on Saturdays and Wednesday evenings, a place to connect with friends, grab a bite to eat and savor the sights, sounds and smells of Sandpoint. We love honey from Chase Honey, plants and produce from Sacred Earth Farm and assorted arts and crafts from area vendors. In fact, on June 12, Sandpoint Fiberarts Guild is celebrating World Wide Knit in Public Day at the Farmers Market. Visit www.sandpointfarmersmarket.com. (CS)

R.I.P.

THE PEAR TREE (3011 S. Grand Blvd.), that most august of Spokane breakfast places/dive bars, is closing its doors forever on Saturday, June 26. That means you have just over two weeks to get in there and bathe in its down-home beer-with-breakfast charm. Pear Tree, you’ll be sorely missed. (LB)

All Scream!

Whether you live on the South Hill, the way-north-side or just, you know, the slightly north side, there’s an ice creamery dying to sell you flavored frozen dairy products.

The Scoop
1001 W. 25th Ave.
Source: Brain Freeze Creamery
24 flavors (rotating)
Mon-Thurs 7 am-9 pm, Fri 7 am-10 pm; Sat: 9 am-10 pm; Sunday 11 am-9 pm
Faves are Cakey Dough (cake batter and cookie dough) and Muddy Cups, Dirty Dishes (brownie batter and peanut butter cups) are perennial favorites. Sorbets are popular in summer.

Mary Lou’s Milk Bottle
802 W. Garland Ave.
Source: Mary Lou’s Ice Cream
18 flavors
Starting last week, the traditionally lunch-only restaurant began opening 11 am-8 pm, Mon-Sun.
River City Sludge (chocolate with chunks of brownies, fudge swirl) is a perennial favorite. Strangest recent creation is the cereal-flavored Blue Moon.

Didier’s Yogurt & More
10410 N. Division
Source: YoCream by Yoplait
Eight flavors (five rotate)
Mon-Sat 10:30 am-10 pm; Sun 11-9
Chocolate, vanilla and strawberry are standard. Pina Colada and Pomegranate Raspberry are summer faves.

Hula Hut Grill
12210 N. Division
Source: Brain Freeze
Creamery
16 Flavors (rotating)
Mon-Sun 11 am-8 pm

Mary Lou’s Ice Cream Parlor
821 N. Evergreen Rd.,
Spokane Valley
Source: Mary Lou’s Ice Cream
32 flavors
Summer Hours: daily 1-10 pm (LB)

Beers of Summer

The starting point of summer is a matter of some debate. The astrological view, of course, is that summer perfectly straddles the solstice, its midpoint coming on the longest day of the year. The meteorological view is more nuanced, and based on climate patterns in various parts of the world, but roughly June to September ’round these parts. The concert-goer view (aka the Sasquatch-to-Dave-Matthews-at-the-Gorge view) is that summer begins on Memorial Day and ends on Labor Day in a three-day cloud of opiates and upbeat South African funk rock.

However, yours-drunk-ass-truly prefers the malted beverage view: Summer begins whenever they start pouring the seasonal brews. And guess effing what? That time is now. Already. Pretty much across the board.

At NORTHERN LIGHTS, they should be rolling out their Summer Wheat any day now, a cloudy, pillowy and sweet brew that still packs a flavor blast like the taste bud guns of Navarone. The best place to find it is at the brewery’s tasting room pub at 1003 E. Trent Ave.

COEUR D’ALENE BREWING COMPANY is a little behind the trend. They’re currently pouring Papa’s Pale, which is light and bitter but more of a transitional, beholden to neither spring nor summer. They’re just kicking that off at Steam Plant (159 S. Lincoln St.), so the summer seasonal won’t be along for a bit yet.

For LAUGHING DOG’s crisp, berry-noted Huckleberry-creme Ale, which is abundant in Idaho but difficult to find in Washington (well, Eastern Washington), you’ll need to look at Huckleberry’s (926 S. Monroe St.), at a similarly stocked grocer, or at a specialty store like Jim’s Home Brew (2619 N. Division).

GOLDEN HILLS BREWERY doesn’t have a seasonal per se, but all their beers are pretty light and finish damn clean. Even Ben’s Brown, which recently got third place in the American Dark Lager category. The Q at Northern Quest has a Friday feature called “Just for the Halibut” that pairs fish and chips with a pint of Clem’s Gold for $11. Village Tavern and the Hop Shop both always have one of Golden Hills’ three beers on tap.

Rumors of a tasting room at their Airway Heights brewery are true (though they haven’t exactly come to fruition yet). Owner Bernie Duenwald is optimistic it’ll happen sometime this summer.

In the meantime, you can take a short road trip to Bubba’s Bar & Grill (245 E. Broadway) in Reardan. The bar has five taps, Coors Light, Bud Light and the three Golden Hills varieties. (LB)

Happy Hour Tour

It’s a warm summer day. Evening’s just around the corner and the sun has hours before it settles down below the West Plains. You’re bored. You’re thirsty. You’re broke.

Here’s a perfect parade of cheap drinks (with the also affordable delicacy accompaniment) for what could be a perfect summer evening.

Start early, at 2 pm to be exact, at ANDY’S BAR (1401 W. First Ave.). Good beer is always cheap here. Slake that thirst.

Next up, 3 pm at ANTHONY’S HOMEPORT (510 N. Lincoln St.). Order an absolutely massive $3 “pint” and a 50-cent oyster shooter. Or two. Or a $3 margarita. Whatev.

Hoof it over to CLINKERDAGGER (621 W. Mallon Ave.) right at 4 pm; otherwise there’s no way in hell you’ll get a seat on their killer patio. Appetizers are half off, and the food is awesome, so get a little crazy. Kobe meatloaf sliders and the warm brie with macadamia nut crust? Yes. Please.

All right, time is of the essence, so lace them sneaks and get on over to ZOLA (22 W. Main Ave.) at 5 pm! I know, I know. You feel a little drunk. It’s naptime. But, buck up, young summer soldier. The $1 PBRs at Zola are like water. (They have actual water, as well.)

And, finally, make your way to the BABY BAR (827 W. First Ave.) for $3 well drinks. And damn you if you don’t order some nachos from the front. Because that’s how the tour ends. (ND)

Get Your Cook On

The KITCHEN ENGINE (621 W. Mallon Ave.), Spokane’s loved train-themed cooking store, is mad with culinary classes. Go to their Website. Pretty much every day, Monday through Thursday, is taken up with a cooking class. And heavens, the variety! You can hit it up next Tuesday and get a survey of “mainstay” Thai dishes and then come back the next night and learn how to prepare a perfect filet mignon. “My aunt’s Thai of French extraction, so that’s not like a big deal,” you say? Does she know how to cook with wild nettles?! Take her there tonight (June 10), she might learn something. (LB)

Stuff Yourself

A list for your perusal: 55 concerts, three beer gardens, 48 food booths. Need we say more? It’s PIG OUT IN THE PARK. If you eat like a pig and feel stuffed like a pig, you’re doing it right. Get details at spokanepigout.com. (ND)